POLICE FUNDS SHOULD GO TO LOCAL SCHOOLS

Which presents more of an opportunity to Hudson Valley school students: a
million-dollar budget gap or drug deals in a lucrative black market?

Police highlight the importance of education as a deterrent to drug use
(DARE, etc.). They, more than anyone else, should understand that the
budget crisis is capable of undermining current and future efforts to
reduce drug use by valley youth.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates that state and local
governments spend $20 billion annually to curb drug use. With citizens in
Community Response Teams taking some of the burden off the police force,
money traditionally used toward law enforcement is available.

I challenge all local police agencies to invest police funds in the Hudson
Valley into schools as a preventative measure that gives a key demographic
in the drug war a better choice. Schools with counselors and classes with
books can do more to keep kids away from drugs and off the street than an
army of police officers can.

Tim Walsh, Ulster Park